I apologize again for my terrible-ness at keeping this updated. I’ve barely had a minute to myself this month. This city has been pretty taxing and I’ve definitely had my share of ups and down, and so much is happening, but I’ll try to fill in from where I left off.

The first two weeks in Tel Aviv were mainly orientation, filled with speakers and intensive Hebrew lessons each day. One of the highlights was going to visit Google Israel, which was brand new and state-of-the-art. However, they weren’t really allowed to tell us about anything they were working on in detail, since it’s all top secret. But, it was cool to say that we went to Google, and I got a photo in the slide!

Another highlight was a walking tour of Jaffa. It’s a beautiful area but there’s a great deal of history there, and not to mention, great food. I’m kind of fuzzy on the history part, but we had dinner at the famous Doctor Shakshuka, which was very tasty, but maybe not worth the hype.

Last week was the first week of my internship at Almog Dvir. So far, it’s been challenging but nothing that I can’t handle. My office is located in Hertzeliya Pituach, which is a very nice business district just north of Tel Aviv. The commute time is about 45 minutes each way, but it’s given me plenty of time to catch up on my podcasts. The studio consists of a very small team, just three other designers and a project manager, along with the owner, Dvir. The first project they had me work on consisted of some logo concepts for a rebrand of a local brewery, Negev. Israeli craft beer hasn’t been around for very long, which poses a challenge in selling since its a beer without much history. I have to say, it’s a very cool project but identity isn’t my strong suit. That’s one of the reasons I chose to work here, to improve my branding skills and to be able to work with a lot of different clients. While week one wasn’t particularly productive, I feel like I’m finally getting into the groove this week.

Aside from work, I haven’t had much time for anything else. I’ve been freelancing way too much for my own good, and when I’m not doing that, I’m visiting my grandparents or going to the beach. I find it hard to believe that I’ve been busier here than I’ve been at home, and it hasn’t been the trip that I thought it would be. Even a month in, I’m still having a hard time adjusting, and life hasn’t been without its setbacks. For example, I had an unfortunate incident at the shuk on Friday. Every time I approach the market, I remind myself and everybody else that it’s a popular place for thieves, and to watch your bags. Can you guess where this is going? My iPhone was stolen right out of my backpack. Fortunately, I have an amazing family who lent me a phone (a dumb phone, but it’s still a phone!). This was a really low point for me. But you know what? I never had a smartphone in college, so what difference should it make now? So, I’ll have to wait a month for someone to bring me one from the states (Import taxes here are astronomical), but, maybe its a lesson in patience. Savlanut.

This city has tested my patience more than ever. It’s such an incredible blessing to be living where I’m living, but it’s not easy. Part of the reason I guess I haven’t been updating is that I haven’t had much of a chance to be with myself. There is very little privacy, which was expected, but I guess the good thing is that you’re never alone here. For example, Purim happened here last week. I’ve never seen a city in costume for a week straight, it was electric! There were so many parties, from the bars and clubs, to the park next door, to the streets, and everyone was loud and all about it. It was a blast, but incredibly overwhelming in so many ways.

The bright side of all of the troubles I’ve had is that things can only get better, and if things still don’t get better, I’m learning to shake things off like a true Tel Aviv-ian. I am so thankful for all of the good things in my life, and the awesome support system that I have here. I know everything will be alright.

I will try – Key word try – to be better about updating. With the spotty Internet and the amount of work I’m doing, it’s been difficult, but I’ve been thinking about it a lot. I miss you all back home, and I hope you’re all doing well. See you soon <3